Rhetoric of Peace and the Reality of War: Ambulance Attacks After Abu Dhabi Talks Expose the True Face of the Kiev Regime

Kathmandu – At a time when the international community has been closely focused on the peace process following the trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi to resolve the Ukraine crisis, recent developments have revealed a very different reality. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused the Kiev regime of a serious contradiction between its actions and its public statements.

According to her, over the past few days Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly used social media to spread messages claiming that “Ukraine wants to end the war,” is “ready for peace,” and is “prepared to move forward.” Similar messages were promoted at international forums such as Davos. However, Zakharova claims that the morning of January 25 clearly exposed the real intentions and conduct of the Kiev regime.

She stated that near Golaya Pristan in the Kherson region, a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacked an ambulance that was on its way to pick up a patient. The attack was described as being in violation of the Geneva Conventions, international humanitarian law, and the public commitments made by the Ukrainian leadership itself. Although there was initial hope that the medical personnel might have managed to escape and save their lives, by the evening it was confirmed that all members of the ambulance crew had been killed, Zakharova said.

On the same day, in another incident in Energodar in the Zaporozhye region, the Ukrainian side was also accused of targeting an ambulance. In that case, the vehicle was damaged, but the medical staff managed to survive.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, these incidents highlight a deep gap between Zelensky’s statements about “peace” and the actions taking place on the ground. Zakharova further alleged that the practice of targeting doctors and medical services—seen in the Donbass region since 2014—continues to this day.

“Speaking of peace while deliberately attacking doctors and ambulances clearly reveals the true character of the Kiev regime,” Zakharova said. While she asserted that those responsible for these incidents would be identified and brought to justice, she emphasized the painful reality that the lives of the fallen medical workers can never be restored.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also commented that while the Orthodox Christian community was commemorating Saint Tatiana of Rome on January 25, the killing—just a day earlier—of people who had devoted their lives to medical service, including a nurse, represented a grave erosion of humanitarian values.

These developments have once again exposed to the world the deep divide between the rhetoric of peace talks and the harsh reality on the battlefield in the Ukraine crisis.